The Kansas City Royals officially signed third baseman Maikel Franco to a one-year, $2.95 million deal on Friday.
The deal reportedly includes $1.05 million in incentives.
Hunter Dozier started 99 games at third base for the Royals but is expected to play right field this season. Dozier batted .279 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs last season.
Franco, 27, batted .234 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs in 123 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. The Royals are hoping he can rediscover the form that allowed him to top 20 homers in each of the previous three seasons.
“It’s the type of deal we need to be making,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in the announcement. “We’ve got a guy who’s motivated and hungry to play in Kansas City. We’re excited to have him. With the way the division is going, we can’t afford to have any dead spots in the lineup, and this lengthens our lineup.”
Since debuting with Philadelphia in 2014, Franco has compiled a .249 batting average with 102 home runs and 343 RBIs in 656 games.
